Pretense
by WhosJeebus
Summary: They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. A Spring Break party, an intimate confession, and a wish spoken in anger. What happens when everything you've known is suddenly different?


Title: Pretense (1/5)

Author: WhosJeebus

Rating: M

Pairing(s): Seto/Jounouchi

Wish Maker: Seto

Beta: Jennie B. (I am unworthy to even sniff her soiled gym socks! (much groveling) )

Spoilers: A few mentions of DK, but nothing major.

Disclaimer: Not mine, and more's the pity. I'd do such lovely things to, err... I mean WITH them. Alas, they are Takahashi Kazuki's playthings, and he doesn't seem inclined to rent them out. Not that I could afford them, anyway. Le sigh.

Summary: They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. A Spring Break party, an intimate confession, and a wish spoken in anger. What happens when everything you've known is suddenly different?

A/N: Yet ANOTHER challenge fic, but be forewarned -this one isn't for the fluff fans or cry-babies among you. I won't go into specifics, but the challenge entailed a wish, made by either Seto or Jounouchi, that inexplicably comes true. Theauthors were given the task of relating the circumstances behind, and the consequences resulting from, said wish. No other explanation necessary.This one doesn't go in chronological order, so justbear with me if you get confused. All will be revealed by the end.

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Three Weeks Ago:

He was a fraud. A phony.

Kaiba Seto glanced around at the numerous partygoers who filled had his mansion nearly to capacity. Not one of them had any inkling that they were participating in a sham, and that suited him perfectly fine. The time was rapidly approaching the midnight hour, and most of the merry-makers were in various stages of inebriation -- ALL were loud and raucous, whether they were sober or not. His brain attempted to put a positive spin on all the chaos by labeling it an intriguing social experiment, but until tonight, Seto hadn't realized the true depths to which the average teenager would sink in pursuit of a 'good time'. He found that he couldn't care less who was upstairs in bed with whom, what illegal substances were being consumed right under his nose, or even what level of damage was being wreaked upon his home by the revelers. This farce of a Spring Break party served but one purpose and one purpose only: it was his final chance to confront the unwitting object of his current obsession – one Jounouchi Katsuya.

Seto scanned the crowd aimlessly, eyes flitting briefly over one couple out in the middle of the receiving parlor floor, grinding against each other to the relentless beat of loud, techno music. His state of the art sound system was getting the trial run of a lifetime tonight – the throbbing bass line alone had long ago bestowed upon him the mother of all headaches, and he desperately longed for just a few moments of relative peace and quiet. His fragile equilibrium was unused to this kind of abuse, and his throat fairly itched to scream at this multitude of idiots to get the hell out his house -- NOW. He had yet to find a single spot of privacy on the lower level of the mansion, or anywhere for his tired ears to escape the reach of the pulsating music that poured out of hidden speakers. He'd consider himself lucky if he got through the night without one of his compatriots from Domino High burning the place down around them. Thank God everything was insured.

Scowling at the empty beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays that littered every flat surface in his home, Seto continued to peruse the milling throng, keeping an eye out for a tousled mop of bright blond hair. His ears catalogued, and subsequently discarded, the sound of various voices raised in merriment and laughter, still seeking out Jounouchi's familiar, bold alto. He sniffed at the smoke wafting around the corner from the billiard room, recognizing the sweet, almost coffee-like aroma of marijuana, even as his eyes lit upon two teenagers dry-humping each other behind a large ficus plant. Sighing softly under his breath, he once again mentally congratulated himself for having had the foresight to ship Mokuba and his nanny off on vacation for the week. He had known in advance the sacrifices that he would have to make in order to host this debacle, and his impressionable, frequently headstrong, younger brother did NOT need to be subjected to this sort of debauchery.

Despite the surrounding havoc, Seto found that he wasn't so much annoyed or exasperated with the immaturity and proprietary disregard of his fellow students, as he was impatient for these carefully orchestrated machinations to serve their purpose. Nothing he had yet witnessed surprised him, nor even riled his dormant temper to show itself; he was merely anxious for his plans to come to fruition.

Jounouchi had been one of the first guests through the door, trailing along after Anzu, Yugi and Honda as usual. Three steps past the entry hall, his amber eyes had alighted on the fully stocked bar, and he had veered off toward it without so much as a farewell to his friends. Seto had coolly nodded in greeting when their gazes had met from across the room, careful to portray no hint of his usual challenging demeanour. He schooled his features to impassivity, patient to play his cards close to his chest until he judged the timing to be right. Jounouchi had seemed mildly puzzled by this lack of hostility, but had apparently taken it as a positive sign. After polishing off several drinks and making sure he had a fresh one in hand, Jounouchi had sidled up next to Seto and engaged his host in wary conversation.

"Great party, Kaiba. You really pulled out all the stops for this one."

"Hnn. I can certainly afford to."

Jounouchi sipped at his drink, casting his eyes upward to consider the brunet standing at his elbow. "Y'know, it's funny," he mused aloud. "I always kinda pictured you as the type to run around slipping coasters under everyone's drinks and yelling at people not to pee in the pool. Not that it matters now, anyway..." he trailed off mysteriously.

Seto barked out a short laugh. "DID someone pee in my pool, Jounouchi?" His voice held a note of teasing to it, even as he continued to stare blandly ahead. "I want names, and I want them now." A barely curved eyebrow was the only sign that hinted he was even aware of the blond's presence, and he resolved to take advantage of that skewed perception for as long as possible. It just didn't do to reveal one's cards this early in the game. Instead, Seto's attention seemed riveted more on Honda's questionable demonstration of the proper 'funneling' technique, than the lighthearted discussion at hand. The longer Jounouchi believed in the mask of the 'aloof host', the longer Seto had to formulate a plan of attack.

Mouth smiling around the rim of his glass, Jounouchi merely shrugged his shoulders and murmured, "I'm no stool pigeon, but I wouldn't trust Bakura as far as I could throw him. He put away nearly half a keg by himself before he got the bright idea to start doing cannonballs off your second story balcony." He shuffled his feet a bit and treated Seto to a wry grin. "And let's just say that I haven't seen him OR Ryou in line for the can yet, either... All I'm saying is that you might want to take the matter under consideration."

"I'll 'consider' calling the police when he's found floating face down tomorrow morning. Other than that, I couldn't care less."

Jounouchi chuckled and lifted his glass in a cavalier toast. "That's the spirit." He turned and made his way toward the verandah, nimbly dodging a pair of underclassmen who staggered by him sporting makeshift togas around their waists. Seto followed their progress with half an eye as they scrambled up and over the arm of a sofa, apparently engaged in some form of drunken tag. He opened his mouth to make a snide comment to Jounouchi, only to find himself doing a double take at the dark blue wrappings. Were those the drapes from his home office? Shuddering, he pulled his gaze away from the ridiculous duo, only to find that Jounouchi had already vanished through a set of sliding glass doors.

Despite his target's swift exit, Seto couldn't quite bring himself to feel disappointed by his opening salvo in the war to win Jounouchi. In fact, as he replayed the scene over in his mind, he felt satisfied that he'd made exceptional progress at this initial stage. No insults had been hurled; they'd both restricted themselves to using each other's surnames as opposed to their more common vernacular of 'Loser', and 'Jackass'. It had been the nearest thing to a civil conversation he could ever remember having with his longtime rival. A few more encounters like that, and Jounouchi was certain to be eating out of his hand. Figuratively, if not literally. Then again, Kaiba Seto was never one to set his sights on easily attainable goals.

That pleasant exchange had been close to three hours ago, and Seto was beginning to wonder if Jounouchi had slipped out of the party early, or, God forbid, become ill from those shoddy excuses for hors d'oeuvres that the caterer had tried to foist upon his guests. His classmates must have found the selection equally unappetizing, as a number of the canapés and finger sandwiches now decorated the walls and ceilings of various rooms.

On a long shot, he ducked his head into the library, only to be greeted by darkness. He was just about to pull the door shut behind him, when he detected a faint, rustling sound from across the room. He reached an arm in to flick on the light switch when a low voice called out, "Turn on that light and you're a dead man, Kaiba."

"Otogi? Is that you?"

"Oh, Jesus, YESSS!"

"Excuse me?" Seto ears strained to hear more, but the rustling was now back, followed by the distinct sound of a zipper being done up.

Otogi Ryuuji, looking slightly disheveled and very out of breath, stepped into the shallow circle of light cast from the open doorway. Behind him trailed a smug looking, buxom, blonde girl that Seto vaguely recognized from his third period economics class. Irritated, he opened his mouth to ask what the hell they thought they were doing in HIS library, when a second girl, this one a brunette, emerged from the shadows and latched herself onto Otogi's arm. He closed his mouth with an audible snap, attempting to appear nonplussed by these developments. He was, after all, a world-renowned businessman and corporate tycoon – everyone automatically assumed that he'd seen and done everything under the sun. Little did they realize that the average, middle-aged, stuffed shirt CEO thought a wild night out on the town consisted of martinis at a piano bar, a handful of antacids, and home in bed by eleven.

Still somewhat taken aback, Seto eyed the brunette curiously as the blonde reached over to scrub away some lipstick from the corner of Otogi's mouth. The attractive, dark-haired woman seemed familiar as well, but Seto couldn't quite place the face. She looked a bit older than the prototypical high school student, but he was certain that he knew her from somewhere…

"Gotta hand it to you, Kaiba. This is one kick-ass shindig."

Seto crossed his arms over his chest and gave a half-hearted scowl. Dammit, he KNEW that face. Maybe if she were wearing glasses? "Yes, and we all know that I live for your approval, Otogi."

Otogi shrugged, slipping an arm around the waist of each girl, and steering them gently toward the exit. "I'd always suspected as much." He stopped short of the doorway, his progress blocked by Seto's imposing figure. "Was there something you needed, Kaiba? Maybe you'd like to join us for the next round, is that it?" He looked questioningly over at his two paramours. "If it's alright with you ladies?" Both nodded eagerly, and the blonde went so far as to make a grab for the collar of Seto's dark blue shirt.

Taking a quick step backwards, Seto let his arm fall away from the doorknob so that the trio could pass. "Err, I was actually just checking around to find out where Jounouchi might have taken off to. Have you seen him?" He silently cursed himself when Otogi's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, followed by a 'cat that just swallowed the canary' smirk. The LAST thing he needed was a gossip like Otogi spreading rumours that Kaiba Seto was sniffing around dark corners in search of the mutt.

"Sorry, man. Can't say that I've seen Blondie lurking around recently. Maybe you should try tracking Honda down and asking him. Those two are usually joined at the hip," Otogi said suggestively, squeezing past Seto and out into the hallway. "If I find Jounouchi first, I'll be sure to tell him you were looking for him. Eventually."

Leaving Seto to inwardly fume over Otogi's barely-veiled insinuation, the small group breezed around the corner and disappeared. He might have gone after them and given the other teen a taste of his temper, but his brain had finally succeeded in piecing together the puzzle of the brunette woman's identity. She was Domino High School's new head librarian. How very apropos.

Continued searching hadn't revealed Jounouchi's whereabouts, but he did manage to locate Honda in an upstairs half bath, sprawled out on the marble tile and clinging to consciousness by a hair's breadth. Seto was unsympathetic to the other boy's plight, but if he was going to locate Jounouchi some time before dawn, he needed a lead. A glass of cold water dumped unceremoniously over the top of Honda's head seemed to rouse him somewhat, and as the brunet came up sputtering and blinking furiously, Seto gave him a nudge in the ribs with one booted foot.

"Wha' th' fuck?" He shot upright, flailing his arms wildly. "Who's there?" His head whipped around the small room until his eyes finally focused on Seto, albeit rather blearily. "Kaiba? Why're you tryin' to drown me?"

"Where's Jounouchi?"

"Joo-nootchy?" Honda slurred, as though hearing the name for the first time. His bloodshot gaze turned inward briefly, and then he smiled dopily. "Ohh... I 'member him. He's dancing with Yugi and Anzu." He stifled a hiccup, and then turned to wrap his arms around the base of the toilet in an intimately familiar embrace. "Oh God. I think I'm gonna be sick..."

Despite his words to the contrary, Honda slumped back onto the floor and proceeded to snore, the sound echoing loudly in the enclosed space. Seto quietly slipped out the door, musing that he probably should have at least turned the moron over onto his side so that he didn't choke on his own vomit. Shrugging, he made a mental note to send someone to check on the comatose Honda later. That is, provided he even remembered it at all. He had many more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.

On his way to the ballroom-turned-makeshift-rave-party, Seto had time to reflect on the mission at hand. He was uncomfortable with the urgency of the situation, and the pressure to act on his desires had left him feeling vaguely queasy and out of sorts. Kaiba Seto was unused to hurrying ANYTHING-- he was much more at ease with laying plans, spinning intricate webs, and just long term scheming in general. This sensation of time itself working against him was overwhelming and unpleasant at best. He had assumed that there was no rush in his goal of seducing Jounouchi, but just last week, he'd overhead a conversation that had rocked his solid, patient foundation. Seto had been thrown off balance by what he'd learned, and he found himself forced to reevaluate everything he had ever known about the blond who possessed his every waking thought.

Jounouchi had ecstatically informed his best friend, Mutou Yugi, that he had been accepted to the same university that Yugi himself would be attending in the fall. That news was startling in itself, but Seto knew from word of mouth that the college was on the other side of the country in Osaka, which put a horrible crimp in his plans to work on wearing Jounouchi down after school was out. It was bad enough that the pathetic mongrel couldn't be parted from his gang of loser friends for more than ten minutes at a time, but having him out of hand's reach was simply not to be tolerated. To make matters even more inconvenient, the two were planning to move into an apartment in the area almost immediately after graduation. Of course, it was all Mutou's bright idea, damn him. The over-achieving little do-gooder wanted them to move in together and get a head start on familiarizing themselves with the area before classes got underway. If he hadn't been entirely certain that his secret was still safe, Seto would have had a hard time convincing himself that Yugi hadn't done it on purpose, just to thwart him.

As if the revelation of Jounouchi's big move wasn't shocking enough, Seto had researched the matter and discovered that the information he'd overheard was one hundred percent accurate. His first instinct had been to try and block the blond's acceptance to the university in Osaka, but to his dismay, Seto uncovered that Jounouchi had made an impressive turnaround over the past few years, bringing his failing grades up and demonstrating a remarkable aptitude for history and social sciences. Pulling some strings and having him kicked out of one college would serve scant purpose, now that Jounouchi's options were wide open and unrestricted by academics. Seto himself generally had little use for studying the past, considering it a waste of time except as it applied to previous stock market trends and how they compared against current day ventures. Even so, he possessed more than a passing knowledge of world history, and he realized on some level that pretending to share some interests with his intended conquest would someday be a prudent course of action. However, such measures could wait until he had Jounouchi firmly caught in his snare -- a scenario that seemed less and less likely with each passing day.

Financial sabotage was an avenue now closed to him, as well. It would have been a simple matter to block any school loan applications that Jounouchi had submitted to local banks, or even to hack a few government computer systems and render the other boy ineligible for government assistance. It seemed that Jounouchi had outwitted them all by secreting away a portion of his, or rather Mutou's, Duelist Kingdom winnings, and no one had been the wiser to his plans. Most of the funds had been used for Shizuka's eye surgery, and despite his poverty stricken lifestyle, Jounouchi had demonstrated remarkable restraint by allowing Yugi's grandfather to invest the leftover cash for him. While Jounouchi had continued to wear threadbare school uniforms and ratty sneakers, he'd steadily built up a sizeable nest egg for college and living expenses. Now there was nothing in the world to keep him from haring off to parts unknown in just a few short months. The situation was rapidly becoming a desperate one, and Seto was running out of ideas.

Desperation was far and away the LAST face he wanted to present to his quarry, but after learning the strides Jounouchi had made in his pursuit of higher education, Seto was left floundering and confused over his next course of action. As much as he was physically attracted to Jounouchi, the blond's tendency to learn quickly and adapt to stressful situations was a constant source of irritation and frustration to Seto. It just wasn't fair that his diligence and staunch pursuit of perfection in the Duel Monsters arena was frequently upstaged by Jounouchi's grandstanding and 'fly by the seat of your pants' gambling tactics. Forget all about that 'hard work is its own reward' crap that those of lesser intelligence tended to spew forth like gospel; Jounouchi's rapid rise to prominence was an insult to the lifetime of effort Seto that had put into honing his own abilities. He oftentimes refused to even acknowledge the stomach-clenching sensation that seized hold of him when confronted with Jounouchi's striking talents. The very notion that Kaiba Seto was jealous of his rival in any shape, form, or fashion, was a laughable one.

Finally, inspiration had come in the form of a clueless Mazaki Anzu, who had loudly (and repeatedly) bemoaned the fact that no one was planning to throw any wild parties for the upcoming spring break. The perfect opportunity for singling Jounouchi out and persuading him to stick around had fallen right into his lap, and Seto had begun making phone calls immediately. This party would be the most extravagant event these pathetic half-wits had ever laid eyes on, and he would make SURE that Jounouchi Katsuya couldn't pass it up. It was a last ditch effort that reeked of desperation, and he knew it -- unfortunately, the great Kaiba Seto was all out of options.

Nothing Seto had offered Jounouchi thus far was inclined to keep him in Domino City on a permanent basis. In fact, he'd probably be more than happy to bid farewell to all the predictable dog insults, put downs, and constant intimidation that Seto subjected him to almost daily. Jounouchi may be the forgiving sort, but he hadn't exactly demonstrated any discernible masochistic tendencies when it came to his dealings with Seto over the years. Lately, he seemed to have settled on simple avoidance of the brunet and his taunts, and Seto had come to privately regard himself as the proverbial schoolyard bully in their frequent confrontations. Yet another situation he found utterly unacceptable, though he stubbornly refused to acknowledge any deeper meaning behind his confused, amorphous feelings for Jounouchi. The insults continued unabated due to the simple truth that some habits were indeed harder to break than others. A grueling corporate takeover and imminent financial ruin would be far preferable than being forced to confront a multitude of bottled up emotions. Probably a good deal less stressful, as well.

A wave of sound nearly bowled him over as he flung open the door to the ballroom, and his eyes needed a few minutes to adjust the gloom inside. It was dark, stifling, and the strobe light that lit the scene from above made him nauseous within seconds after entering. Seto pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered irritably to himself, unwilling to dwell on the thought that he was actually PAYING the disc jockey to blind and deafen his guests in this manner.

He picked out Yugi and Anzu at the center of the writhing mass of teenagers, the pair apparently engaged in teaching some sort of dance step to the rest of drunken throng. Seto studied the scene for a moment before mentally correcting his assumption. Anzu was the only one doing any teaching here, because it seemed that Mutou Yugi was afflicted with a severe case of two left feet. He found himself inordinately pleased with this discovery, and had to hide a gleeful smile behind his hand as he approached the couple. Given the way Yugi was struggling to learn the overly simplistic steps to the 'Electric Slide', Seto would have been surprised to learn that the diminutive teen had even mastered the 'Hokey Pokey'. It was a sad, wonderful sight to behold. The spectacle of his rival's public humiliation almost made him want to run up and hug Mazaki in gratitude. Almost. As long as she didn't start giving lessons on the 'Macarena' any time soon, Anzu had earned a reprieve from Seto's verbal abuse. A temporary reprieve. If she started spouting her usual 'let's all hold hands and sing 'Kum Ba Ya'' nonsense, all cease fires would be declared null and void.

Seto moved in swiftly and grabbed a laughing Yugi by the elbow, unceremoniously pulling him aside. He was forced to shout in order to be heard over the din. "Have you seen Jounouchi recently?"

Yugi shook his head and babbled something that Seto couldn't quite make out. Rolling his eyes, he dragged the smaller boy out into the corridor, closing the door behind them with a grateful sigh. "Honda said he was in here with you and Mazaki. Do you know where he went?"

"He left the ballroom about half an hour ago!" Yugi bellowed, causing Seto to wince. He smiled apologetically, and then continued in a more reasonable tone of voice, "The last time I saw Jounouchi, he was pretty loaded. I think Mai said something about the two of them stepping outside for a breather. You might want to check the balcony off the main hall. They were headed in that direction, I think."

Seto frowned. "Kujaku Mai?" She certainly wasn't a student at Domino High, and Seto didn't recall sending her an invitation, either. And with good reason, too. The well endowed blonde woman was just a bit too fond of Jounouchi for Seto's taste, and the last thing he wanted was more interference from the friendship patrol. It was bad enough that they all traveled in a pack most of the time, but Seto had assumed that it would be much easier to corner Jounouchi alone at such a large gathering. If Mai had already sunk her claws into him, then it would make his task even more difficult...

Seto belatedly realized that Yugi had been speaking to him again, "I'm sorry, Kaiba, but Yami is the one who asked her to come along. Was that alright?" When Seto merely continued to frown down at him, lost in thought, Yugi wrung his hands and shuffled his feet back and forth nervously. "I mean, I wasn't sure whether or not I counted as two people, and the invitation DID say Yugi Mutou and guest... I tried to explain the situation to your secretary when I called to RSVP, but she just yelled and hung up on me. You're not mad, are you?"

Seto came back down to earth, blinking slowly. He had no idea what Yugi had been jabbering on about for the past five minutes, so he covered with a terse, "Whatever," before turning on his heel and stalking off.

The Kaiba estate was situated far back off the main road, nestled amongst rolling hills, offering a magnificent view of the countryside surrounding Domino proper. Even though the secluded rear balcony was on the lower level of the mansion, it overlooked an expanse of the grounds that featured an immaculate rose garden, an oversized marble fountain, and an intricate maze of neatly trimmed hedges. Seto had drawn the line at ridiculous animal topiaries, but he still found some small amount of satisfaction in forcing Mother Nature to conform to his whim. Most importantly, the balcony was a private, cozy, and admittedly, romantic setting, and Seto had been hoping to lure Jounouchi out there himself some time during the evening. The very thought that Mai had gotten there first made him grind his teeth and put a bit more speed into his steps.

Seto bypassed the main exit off the hall, and crept around to the side door, not wanting to surprise the couple and make it obvious that he'd been seeking Jounouchi's whereabouts. Through the darkened glass, he could see the pair sitting close together on a carved stone bench, fingers nearly touching. Mai was wearing a thin, summery slip dress, and though the evening air was still fairly warm, she had Jounouchi's denim jacket draped over her shoulders. As Seto watched, Mai edged slightly closer to the other blond, until their knees brushed. Everything about the move screamed careful calculation to Seto's discerning eye, and he hurriedly bit back a curse. Except for the background trill of crickets, the night remained placid and still, and he wasn't quite ready to give himself away just yet. As much as Seto desired to break up the love fest that was going on right under his nose, he wanted, no NEEDED, to find out exactly what he was up against. He'd formulate a plan to get rid of his rival once he'd dug up every single thing there was to know about one Kujaku Mai. Kaiba Seto was nothing if not thorough, especially when it came to revenge.

Under the guise of brushing a strand of hair away from Jounouchi's face, Mai proceeded to insert herself even further into the Mutt's personal space, seizing the opportunity to lean over and whisper something into his ear. Jounouchi laughed softly, giving her a warm smile in response, while Seto clenched his fists in rage. Blinking furiously against the sudden moisture clouding his vision, he whirled away from the sickening scene before the couple ended up kissing. If he was forced to witness that, Seto would likely embarrass himself by barging into their midst and demanding an explanation. Instead, he headed straight for the bar, a swirl of confused and angry thoughts clamoring for attention inside of his head, and an ache in his chest that couldn't be explained away.

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tbc


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